\u201cJackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McArthur will have you accept that Nolan Wells\u2019 death can be summarized in three words: \u2018We\u2019ll never know,\u2019\u201d attorney Ben Crump said. \u201cBut Nolan\u2019s family offers three other words: \u2018We\u2019ll never stop.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Crump, in his remarks, insinuated that the district attorney\u2019s investigation was not exhaustive and should continue until the cause of Wells\u2019 death is made clear. <\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790123624624_nn_ksn_no_criminal_charges_nolan_wells_260922_S3_1920x1080-66r56u.jpg\")
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Wells\u2019 mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, said she received a text message from the district attorney at 7:54 p.m. Monday, and that the report was released shortly after. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, that action shows a lack of empathy,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Wells-Wonsley continued: \u201cWhat we have learned is that we still have no answers, and the report reinforced the fact that Nolan was not given a thorough, transparent and honest investigation.\u201d <\/p>\n
The DA\u2019s office shared the text with NBC News. It alerts Wells-Wonsley to the grand jury report, without revealing its conclusions. The DA offers to send it to Wells-Wonsley and offers to \u201csupport you in your grief.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wells, 18, was last seen celebrating the July 4 holiday<\/a> with friends on Horn Island, a barrier reef off Mississippi accessible only by boat. The friends he was with that day have said they had to leave the island early because their boat was taking on water,<\/a> and that Wells opted to stay behind for the rest of the day and told them he\u2019d catch a ride back to the mainland with others. <\/p>\n His body was found at the northwestern tip of the island July 6, Crump has said.<\/p>\n In the aftermath of Wells\u2019 death<\/a>, Crump pointed the blame toward the friends Wells was with on that day, all of whom are white, and alleged that race played a role. Wells appeared to be one of the few Black people on the island that day, according to photos and videos shared of the celebrations. <\/p>\n District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath attempted to put that idea to rest with Tuesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n In a video message<\/a>, she said the grand jury did not find sufficient evidence to indict anyone with a crime.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan\u2019s disappearance and death were racially motivated,\u201d Myers McIlrath said. \u201cNolan\u2019s friends loved Nolan, and Nolan loved them. Nolan chose to stay on the island that day, and there is not a scintilla of evidence to contradict that.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview with NBC News, Wells-Wonsley said that \u201cat no point in time have we ever made this a racial thing\u201d but that \u201cUnfortunately, the optics of the situation has kind of allowed a segue to that.\u201d<\/p>\n She said that she and her husband, Elmore Wonsley, have only wanted to find out what happened to their son.<\/p>\n \u201cI have always told our children, \u2018I will move heaven and earth if anything were to ever happen,\u2019 and that\u2019s exactly what Elmore and I are doing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Myers McIlrath took aim at Crump and his team on Monday, saying they\u2019d previously informed her office that they\u2019d found no evidence a crime had been committed against Wells.<\/p>\n Speaking with NBC News on Tuesday, Crump said he did not want to engage in a \u201ctit for tat\u201d with the DA and her office.<\/p>\n \u201cThe issue is about what happened to Nolan Wells,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything else is just a distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been an advocate for the family, said skepticism is warranted from Wells\u2019 parents and those following the case. <\/p>\n \u201cMississippi\u2019s history painfully teaches us exactly why families should never be expected to simply accept unanswered questions surrounding the death of a young Black person,\u201d the civil rights advocate said in a statement Tuesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Crump, along with Wells\u2019 parents, commissioned an independent autopsy, which found the cause of the teenager\u2019s death was \u201cundetermined<\/a>.\u201d It did, however, find two bruises on the back of Wells\u2019 head. <\/p>\n \u201cTo this day, not one person has explained how they got there,\u201d Crump said in a statement. \u201cWe don\u2019t know how Nolan died, and neither does the state of Mississippi. Mississippi must keep investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n Crump and Wells-Wonsley both spoke about the apparent blunt force trauma again Tuesday at the news conference and called for answers. <\/p>\n![\"Nolan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/260922-nolan-wells-mn-1550-21b1eb.jpg\")
Nolan Wells’ parents, Elmore Wonsley and Christine Wells-Wonsley, at a news conference Tuesday.Emilie Megnien \/ AP<\/p>\n![\"Attorney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/260922-Nolan-Wells-presser-vsb-1931-d90b63.jpg\")
Attorney Ben Crump holds a news conference in Chicago to announce the results of an independent autopsy as they investigate the death of Wells. Scott Olson \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n